


Reach and Flexibilty

by HuntersMoon47



Series: Wait For Me To Come Home [5]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-11-19 04:05:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11305317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuntersMoon47/pseuds/HuntersMoon47
Summary: A near death experience shakes suppressed feelings loose. Danica and Garrus have to figure out how to discuss feelings...which neither of them is great at doing.





	1. Garrus

Garrus had been to a lot of shitty places with Shepard but this Collector Ship - the one that had killed her - was one of the worst. The pods, millions of them, made Garrus shudder. He kept one eye on Shepard. He wasn’t sure if it was the ship, the size of it or Miranda’s suggestion the Collectors were going to target Earth but the Commander was on edge. Or it could be all of those things.

He didn’t like that they saw nothing and no one. They were never that lucky. He kept his finger on the trigger and his head on a swivel while Shepard and EDI messed around with a console.

“EDI? I’m setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the data banks,” Shepard said.

“Data mine in progress, Shepard,” EDI answered. Despite himself, Garrus was growing fond of EDI - as fond as you can be of a ship’s AI. Her voice was soothing and she - shit, he was referring to an AI as she - always heeded Shepard’s word above all else. Garrus liked that. A loud static emptied over the coms, interrupting his musings.

“Uh, that can’t be good,” Joker said from the Normandy when the static died away. Garrus snapped his gun up to his shoulder as the ship started making noises. Shepard and Miranda had their guns up a breath later.

“What the hell just happened?” Shepard demanded.

“Major power surge,” Joker answered. “Everything went dark, but we’re back up now.”

“I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical systems,” EDI added. “Shepard, it was not a malfunction. This was a trap.”

Before any of them could react, before Garrus could get angry, platforms of Collectors starting moving towards them. They scrambled for cover.

“EDI, we’re going to need a little help here!” Shepard yelled.

“I am having trouble maintaining the connection. There is someone else in the system.”

“Of course there is,” Shepard mumbled next to him, too quiet for the comms to pick up. “Always someone else. Why the fuck can’t I get one fucking easy mission in my fucking life?”

Garrus was glad his helmet hid the smile her grumbling earned. A smile that he couldn’t shake as they took on wave after wave of Collectors, giving EDI time to finish downloading the information. The entire time, Shepard cursed and grumbled about the Collectors and the Reapers being pains in her ass.

“God-damned mother fuckers.” Shepard put her rifle on her back and approached the next console.

“I have regained control of the platform, Shepard,” EDI said.

“Ugh, I thought we were going to have to take on every damn Collector her,” Shepard snapped.

“Perhaps you should consider upgrading my hardware,” EDI quipped back. Shepard glowed at EDI’s glowing blue interface and Garrus covered a laugh.

“Did you get what we needed?”

“I found data that could help us successfully navigate the Omega 4 relay,” EDI reported. “I have also found the Turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is….unusual.”

“What are you getting at, EDI?” There was on edge, all teasing and mock complaining gone. Her eyes flickered up to Garrus.’

“Turian emergency channels have secondary encryption. It is present, but it isn’t corrupted in the message,” EDI explained. Garrus nodded his confirmation to Shepard, his stomach twisting. Something was wrong. “It is impossible that the Illusive Man would believe the distress call was genuine.”

“Why are you so sure?” Shepard asked, her eyes back on him again.

“I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them.”

“Fuck,” Garrus breathed. Through her helmet, Garrus could see fury flash in Danica’s eyes.

“He knew it was a trap?” Joker said. “Why would he said us into a trap?”

“That fucking son of a bitch,” Shepard growled. “He sent us right into Collector hands.”

“There has to be another explanation! The Illusive man wouldn’t do this to us. He...he just wouldn’t,” Miranda argued. Shepard whirled on the Cerberus agent.

“Just like Niket wouldn’t? Fuck, Miranda, why can’t you pull your head out of your ass?”

Miranda’s face crumpled in hurt.

“Shep,” Garrus said quietly. Shepard sighed and dropped her head.

“Gah, fine! Fuck! I’m sorry, Miranda. That was out of line,” Shepard mumbled. Miranda pulled her face back into its neutral state.

“No matter, Shepard. Now is not the time to discuss such things.”

“Yeah, uh….Commander,” Joker interrupted. “We’ve got another problem. The Collector ship is powering up.”

“Ugh!” Shepard dropped her head back and shouted at the ceiling. “Okay, here’s the plan - get off this ship, killing any asshole that gets in our way; give the Illusive Man a piece of my fucking mind, and then shore leave before I lose my goddamned mind.”

No one had time to respond before she pulled her gun and started running back the way they’d come. Garrus caught a worried glance from Miranda as they followed their Commander. He resolved to talk about it with Shepard when they got back to the Normandy. It wasn’t like her to be like this on missions.

He began regretting the necessary delay. Shepard was fighting angry; reckless and she was going to get herself hurt. It didn’t help that the every was everywhere. They seemed to be popping out of the walls. Every time they thought they were clear, more showed up. And then there were the doors; the Collectors blocking their path so they had to hunker down and wait for EDI to override a new door.

“Shepard, I”m out of medigel.” Miranda settled into cover behind the barrier when Garrus and Danica were crouching.

“EDI should be just about done with this door,” Shepard said, glancing at her omnitool.

“I still need a few more minutes, Shepard,” EDI confirmed. “And there are Collectors inbound. Including a Praetorian.”

Okay,” Shepard said, the way she always did while she went over plans. “Garrus and Miranda, you focus on taking out the small-fry first, then Harbinger. I’m tired of him just jumping to a new body every time we kill him. I’ll focus on the Praetorian.”

“Shepard, are you sure…” Garrus swallowed the remainder of his question when Shepard’s blue eyes snapped to his, flashing with irritation. He bit back any protest and nodded his consent.

Garrus tried to keep his eyes on Shepard but he couldn’t. There were just too many Collectors and he’d just put her in more danger by not doing his job. So he trusted Danica to take care of her business while he took care of his.

Until EDI’s voice came over their comms.

“Shepard, you’re shields are down,”

If Garrus didn’t know better he’d swear there was panic in the AI’s voice.

“I know, EDI!” Shepard growled. Garrus pulled his eyes away from Harbingers to see Shepard standing out of cover, in front of the Praetorian, her Arc Projector changing.

“Shepard!” Miranda called out. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking care of these bastards once and for all,” Shepard answered. Heart pounding in his chest, Garrus turned back to Harbinger and took two shots, finishing him off. He heard Miranda gasp over the com as he was turning back to Shepard.

The scene that greeted him almost made his heart stop. A missile from the Praetorian connected with Shepard’s chest just as she fired a shot. Garrus watched in honor as Shepard’s body was thrown back into the wall and fell limp to the ground.

“Shepard!” Garrus yelled as he switched over to his assist rifle and joined Miranda in showering the Praetorian with bullets. Her final shot had done what she intended, though, because it only took a few seconds for the Collector to go down. “Shepard?”

“Officer Vakarian, Commander Shepard is not responding,” EDI said. “In such a situation, I am to refer to you for command.”

Garrus ignored EDI and hurried to Shepard’s side. She was bent awkwardly against the wall, arms and legs splayed out. He gently righted her head and sighed with relief when he eyes flickered open.

“Office  Vakarian, I have unlocked the final door.”

“Thank you, EDI,” Garrus said, eyes still fixed on Shepard. She tried to sit up but fell back down.

“Fuuuuuck,” She half gasped, half laughed. “It feels like I took a rocket to the chest.”

Normally, Garrus would have laughed with her but seeing her body falling like that, it had snapped something in him. Instead, a low, angry growl erupted from him. He didn’t bother hiding it; she needed to understand, to know what it had done to him. Her eyes flickered to his and she frowned.

“Not so funny, huh?” She said quietly. The only response he could manage was another growl. To his surprise, Shepard nodded. “We’re going to have a talk later, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” Garrus grumbled.

“Guys, this is fun and all but we need to go before the ship is fully operational,” Miranda broke in. Without a word, Garrus helped Shepard up, slipping an around her waist and they hobbled back to the Normandy. He didn’t remove his arm when they got to the ship, instead hurrying with Shepard to the cockpit as Joker and EDI worked their magic.

Once they were in FTL, clear and safe, Shepard leaned heavily into him.

“Garrus?”

“Shepard?”

“I think we should adjust my timeline a bit,” she said weakly. “I think maybe I should squeak Chakwas in before the Illusive Man.”

“You think?” he growled, the human phase escaping him. “Can you make it down there?”

“Garrus, I know you’re angry at me, but so help me, if you carry me in front of the crew, I will flatten you.”


	2. Danica

Danica watched Garrus silently help her remove her armor once they’d gotten down to Med Bay. She watched him pace at the end of the table as Chakwas began working. She watched him clench his fists when she gasped in pain, on his protective growls escaped him. 

“Perhaps you should wait somewhere else, Officer Vakarian,” Chakwas said. 

“Let him stay,” Danica said quietly. Garrus eyes finally met hers and her heart nearly stopped. She’d never seen fear in the eyes of Garrus Vakarian until that moment. She remembered how it had felt seeing Garrus take that missile to the face. And that had been before...whatever this was. 

“You need to rest for at least twenty-four hours," Chakwas interrupted Danica’s thoughts. “And I mean rest, Commander. No exercise, no running around the ship, no drinking with Zaeed and Jack. Rest. I’ll assume from the look on Garrus’ face he can be trusted to enforce this.

“Karin…” Danica protested. The doctor just shook her head and put her hands up. 

“You make your bed, Commander, you lay in it,” She picked up a datapad from her desk. “Oh look at that, it would seem I’m needed somewhere else.”

Danica waited for the door to slide shut before she started to apologize. But Garrus as standing in front of her, hands on either side of her face, forehead pressed to hers. Her breath caught in her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest. She knew enough about Turians to know this was their version of a kiss. The low rumbling in his chest was constant and Danica’s heart was pounding in her chest. Garrus was...kissing her. 

“Shepard,” he said quietly. “What the hell was that?”

Danica deflated. She hated the fear in his voice; hated that she'd been the one to put it there. She shook her head. 

“I just got so...angry,” she whispered, grasping the edge of the bed to keep herself from shaking. “Everything is just so...fucked up and I...something inside me just snapped.”

Garrus pulled back, lowering his hands to her shoulders. 

“It was before that,” he said, his eyes searching hers. “You were tense before we even got on that ship. What’s really going on?”

Danica groaned and tipped her head back. She hated that he could see through her so easily; hated that she couldn’t duck her problems with him. Tears burned her eyes and she blinked several times. A long silence passed as she fought for control of her emotions before speaking.

“I’m tired, Garrus,” she said quietly. “All of this - dying, coming back; having my crew, my family, scattered across the galaxy; building a new one; Cerberus. It’s all such a mess. And I miss the Alliance, I miss being a part of that. I miss Anderson and Hackett. I miss my life.

“Instead, I’ve got this fucker who lies to me; manipulates me; puts my crew in danger - the crew whose loyalty I’ve worked my ass off for. I’m backed into a corner, Garrus. I’ve got no way out and I hate it. Some days, I can barely breathe.”

Danica didn’t look at him. If she did, emotions would boil over. Garrus didn’t say anything. She heard him, shifting; could hear his subvocals humming, but he remained silent as his arms came around Danica’s shoulders. With a sigh, Danica leaned against his chest, his armor cold against her cheek. 

They stayed like that for awhile as Danica adrenaline worse off and the aches from battle few stronger. Fatigue set in as well, aided no doubt by whatever meds Chakwas had given her. When the pain in her chest made her suck in a quick breath and shift uncomfortably. Garrus finally pulled away. 

“Come on, Shep,” he said, her voice low and growly, sending a shiver down Danica’s spine. “Get some rest and then we’ll figure this out.”

Danica nodded and slid off the table. Pain racked her body when her feet hit the floor. She stumbled sideways, her version darkening, but Garrus was there holding her up. Always there. Always ready to catch her when she stumbled. She would never know how, despite how fucked up this galaxy was, it had given her Garrus Vakarian.

“Shit,” she mumbled. She felt drunk. “What did that damned doctor give me?”

“Probably a tranq to knock you out,” Garrus said, slipped a strong arm around her waist. “She knows you won’t rest otherwise.”

“Sneaky bitch,” Danica mumbled as they stepped onto the elevator. The last thing she heard before she passed out was Garrus’ laugh. 

 

_ Stars blinked in the black blanket of space. Beautiful. Grand. Deadly.  _

_ Danica desperately tried to suck in air, gasping at the tubes at the back of her helmet. Space pressed in on her. This was it. She was dying. Really truly, dying.  _

_ She blinked and suddenly Garrus was there; gray eyes locked on hers, long arms pulling her into his embrace. Pressed softly against his body. Danica took another breath. Air mercifully flooded her lungs. She almost cried, gasping for more, even as Garrus began shaking her shoulders. _

_ “No,” she moaned. “Don’t” _

“Shepard wake up. You’re freaking me out.” Garrus’ voice broke through the haze of the dream. Danica’s eyes flickered open to see Garrus leaning over her, brow plates pulled together in concern. He was so close, she could kiss him. Really kiss him. A human kiss this time, not a Turian kiss. The thought sent her heart racing and heat pooling in her belly. 

Shit, she was in trouble. 

“You okay?” Garrus asked. Danica swallowed and nodded, lungs still burning. 

"Nightmare," she gasped. Garrus backed away as Danica sat up, cold air hitting her as the blankets fell down. She looked down at herself to see just a sports bra and underwear. Garrus cleared his throat, drawing her gaze back up to his face. 

“I, uh...you passed on in the elevator. I figured you wouldn’t want to sleep in your armor.” He grabbed the back of his neck, refusing to look at her. 

“You blushing, Vakarian?” She teased, finding his discomfort entirely endearing. His eyes snapped to hers, narrowing when he saw the smile on her face. 

“Turians don’t blush” he growled half-heartedly. 

“Maybe not,” She prodded. “But your cheeks get all flappy when you’re embarrassed.” 

She brought her hands up to the side of her face and moved them to mimic the flicker of his mandibles. Before she realized what was happening, a large Turian hand was in her face, playfully pushing her back down onto the bed. A peal of laughter escaped Danica before pain exploded in her chest, turning it into a groan. 

“Oh, don’t make me laugh,” she groaned. The bed shifted as Garrus stood up. Danica opened her eyes, catching his gaze flickering over her scantily clad body. She grinned when his eyes met hers again. This time, he held her gaze, almost like a challenge, and the intensity in his eyes made her shudder.

Damn that Turian menace. 

He knew it too. Danica saw satisfaction flicker through his eyes. 

“I hate to ruin your fun, Commander,” Garrus aid. “But the Illusive Man wants to talk to you. He’s been pinging Chambers almost every hour.”

Danica groaned and threw the covers off, any gaiety dissipating immediately. She lay there, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to pull her thoughts together before going back into the lion’s den. 


	3. Garrus

Garrus watched Danica gingerly pull herself out of bed and stomp over to her closet, thankful to finally have her attention on anything other than him. Seeing her almost die yesterday had rattled him; shook something loose in him that he'd been keeping at bay for months now; something he didn’t really know how to handle. 

He watched Shepard get dressed, muscles moving under her soft skin - skin he’d wanted desperately to explore while getting her out of her armor last night. He noticed she opted for a plain dark blue top and black pants - no Cerberus colors or insignias anywhere. She was making a statement - she may work for Cerberus, but she was _not_ Cerberus. Then she twisted her hair into a tight knot on the top of her head and turned to Garrus. 

“How do I look?” She asked. Garrus took a moment before responding so he didn’t blurt out what he was thinking -  _ beautiful; incredible; resilient; powerful _ \- and then gave her the answer she needed. 

“Tough as nails and pissed as hell,” he said and she grinned at him. 

“Good.” She started for the door, looking over her shoulder at him. “You coming, Big Guy?”

“And miss the show?” He followed her to the elevator. “Never.”

They rode down in silence, Garrus watching Shepard transform into battle mode - jaw set, shoulders back, eyes sharp. When they arrived in CIC, Chambers looked visibly relieved when she saw them. 

“Commander, you have new emails at your terminal and the Illusive Man would like to speak to you in the communication room.”

“Excellent,” Shepard growled. “I’d love to speak to him.”

Chambers eyes went wide at Shepard’s tone and Garrus barely held back a chuckle. Spirits, he loved it when she was like this. He loved seeing others quake before her. He followed her to the com room, nodding at Mordin as they passed through the lab. Shepard waited for Garrus to settle into the back corner of the room, where there was a blind spot in the surveillance. When he took up his usual spot, Shepard pulled up the Illusive Man. 

“Shepard. Looks like EDI extracted some interesting data before the Collector Ship came back online.”

Shepard’s nostrils flared; her hands clenched at her side. 

“EDI told us the distress call originated from the Collectors. You betrayed us. Just like I knew you would.”

“We’re at war," the Illusive Man said casually. "The Collectors are taking humans, and every minute we waste is one more we give the enemy to prepare.”   


“Don’t talk to me about war,” Danica spat. “You’ve never fought a fucking war in your life; never been the one leading a team into battle. I know the stakes. But we’re supposed to be on the same side, and I can’t trust you. That will kill us all faster than anything.”

The Illusive Man paused for a moment, though Garrus knew better than to hope Shepard would get an apology out of the man. 

“Without that information, we don’t reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other human may as well be dead.” Their benefactor snuffed out his cigarette and pushed himself out of his chair. “It was a trap...but I was confident in your abilities. And don’t forget EDI. The Collectors couldn’t have anticipated her.”

“You could have told me the plan," Shepard argued. "You say I’m important but you sure try hard to get me killed.”

“I needed the Collectors to believe they had the upper hand. Telling you could’ve tipped them off in any number of ways. Besides, I wouldn’t have sent you in if I didn’t think you could succeed.”

Garrus struggled to suppress a growl. The man was so full of bullshit, it was a miracle he could see straight. It was a good thing the bastard wasn’t there -Garis really wanted to break his nose. And maybe an arm. Or a leg. Or both. Shepard, though, managed to maintain her composure, even if Garrs could see the little indications of her fury - the twitch in her left eye; the muscles straining at the back of her neck; the way her jaw clenched.

“I don’t risk people,” Shepard snorted. “There are always alternatives.”

“You may not like being on the receiving end - neither would I - but the facts are with me. As much as we try to avoid them, these decisions need to be made. But more importantly, it paid off…”

Garrus only half listened to the rest of the conversation. Instead, he kept his gaze on Shepard. She was still in pain - he could tell by the way her fingers dug into her arms so hard the tips were turning white. He watched and tried to figure out how to process the emotions shaken loose the day before. He wasn't sure if he should push them back down or finally tell Shepard. He knew her, knew she’d prefer honesty but he wasn’t sure he could get the words out. 

“Garrus?” Shepard was staring at him, head cocked to the side. “You okay?”

“Uh, yeah, fine,” he stammered. The call was finished, the Illusive Man was gone and the conference table back up. “Just, ah, worried about calibrations.”

Shepard snorted and shook her head.

“Nerd,” she said. “I’m got to go make rounds and check in with Chakwas. I’ll stop by the Battery later.”

She didn’t bother to wait for his confirmation. Garrus wasn’t really sure when that had changed but at some point, it just became an unspoken rule that she’d finish her day in the Battery with him. She'd hang out in there, sometimes for hours, going through reports, answering email, sometimes watching a vid while Garrus worked. Sometimes, she fell asleep on his cot. He'd have let her stay as often as she wanted but there wasn't room for both of them. Perhaps he should consider a bed upgrade in the near future.

His eyes fell to her backside as she turned and walked out of the room. Spirits, he had to do something about this. Running a hand over his face and started for the Battery, determined to figure out how to bring this...thing up tonight. The sooner he did it, the less time he had to second-guess himself.


	4. Danica

Danica took another sip of Chakwas' favorite drink and smiled at the doctor. One of her only friends from before. Just Karin, Joker and Garrus now. Despite herself, Danica glanced out the window at the hallway to the Battery where Garrus would be.

“If you want to see him, why don’t you just go see him?” Chakwas said. Danica’s eyes snapped back to the doctor. She felt herself blush. When she tried to deny anything, Chakwas just laughed at her. “Please, Shepard, I’ve been around long enough to see what’s going on here. For the record, I support it fully.”   


“You…” Danica thought about denying it again but it’s not like she’d ever been able to hide anything from Chakwas anyway. “You do?”

“Why wouldn’t I? You two have always been thick as thieves. Honestly, I was surprised you ended up with Kaidan instead of Garrus.”

Danica almost choked on her drink. 

“Seriously?”

“You and Garrus have always been so...seamless.” Chakwas shrugged. “Even early on, when there was a bit of hero worship on his part, the two of you just clicked. Sometimes, that dynamic is more important then butterflies. Though, there are clearly some of those on both part.”

“Do you...do you think he feels the same way?” She asked. Chakwas just chuckled. 

“Oh Commander, do you really not know?”

“I mean...I just don’t want to read it wrong.” Danica took another drink. This conversation was making her...nervous. It was all out there now. Even if Karin was the only one to hear, the words were out there now, floating in the universe. Talking about it out loud made it - whatever  _it_ was between her and Garrus, far more real. 

“Trust me, dear, there is only one way to read it.”

Danica chewed her lip and stared out the medbay window mulling over the doctor’s words. Karin was probably right - she usually was, but Danica wasn’t really sure how to broach the subject. She and Garrus had been dancing around it for months now, but she knew Garrus. Coming right out with it would make him uncomfortable. 

“If it helps whatever scheme you’re cooking up, you should know that Turian’s often engage in certain...activities to relieve stress.” Chakwas’ eyes sparkled when Danica looked back at her. The doctor shrugged and took another sip of her drink. 

“You don’t say?” Danica grinned and glanced back at the Battery, an idea coming together in her mind. 

 

\---------

 

“You mean, Turian ships have crewmen fighting each other before a mission?” Danica asked, watching Garrus pace around the Battery. It had been almost too easy, leading him here. She rested her chin on her hand, fingers curled up in front of her mouth to hide the grin she could not keep from her lips. 

“It’s supervised, of course. Nobody’s going to risk an injury that interferes with the mission. And it’s a good way to settle grudges amicably.” Garrus paused in his explanation, a Turian smile ghosting across his face. “I remember right before one mission. We were about to hit a Batarian pirate squad - very risky. A recon scout and I had been suggested we settle it in the ring.”

“I assumed you took her down gently,” Danica teased. Garrus Vakarian would never take down a challenger gently. But there was more to this story - she could tell by the rumble of his subvocals; the way his facial plates twitched - and she wanted to get there. 

“Actually, she and I were the top-ranked hand-to-hand specialists on the ship. I had reach but she had flexibility. It was brutal. After nine rounds, the judge called it. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the training room,” Garrus chuckled. He seemed far away, remembering old days. It was probably good for him - to remember a simple time; a time before Reapers. “We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach but...she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress, I guess. 

His voice was wistful. Danica chuckled and Garrus’ eyes snapped to where she sat on his cot. He coughed uncomfortably and he grabbed the back of his neck like he just realized what he’d said; that he’d just talked to her about a past sexual partner. Danica stood up and crossed her arms, smirking at him. This was good. She could broach the subject with humor. That worked better for both of them anyway. 

“Sounds like you’re carrying some tension, Vakarian. Maybe I could help you get rid of it,” she said. Garrus went perfectly still before replying, eyes wide. 

“I, ah, didn’t think you’d feel like sparring, Commander.”

Commander. Well fuck, he hadn’t called her that since...before she’d died. Maybe she’d overestimated where she stood. Still, she wasn’t quite ready to give up. Danica Shepard wasn’t a quitter. 

“What if we skipped right to the tie-breaker?” She asked. She couldn’t keep from teasing him just a bit, because, really, who said these things? “We could test your reach...and my flexibility.” 

“Oh! I didn’t...huh.” He stopped, running a hand over his fringe in silence. When he finally met her eyes, something had changed in them. There was resolution and desire. “Never knew you had a weakness for men with scars.”

“It’s really more a weakness for one specific man with scars,” she admitted. There it was, in true Shepard-Vakarian style. Honesty portrayed through teasing because the gravity of true emotion was too raw. “Or, one specific Turian, I should say.”

Garrus stared at her for several moments before saying anything. 

“Well,” he drawled. She knew that tone and it sent her heart racing. He was going to say yes. Oh god, he was going to say yes. “Why the hell not. There’s no one in the galaxy I respect more than you. And if we can figure out a way to make it work, then...yeah. Definitely.”

There was a deep purr to his voice that Danica had never heard from him before. It sent an instant heat to her core, swirling and curling in her stomach. His eyes had gone dark and help her with an intensity that sent a shudder down her spine. With a smile, Danica excused herself, carefully maintaining a calm demeanor but internally wondering if she’d gotten in over her head. 


End file.
